Internet Life
by Cx3
Summary: Modern!AU. All of our favorite characters are having issues in their own lives. It's almost unbearable, until they begin to use the Internet. Cinder, Peony, Iko, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter are obsessed with a fictional book series, The Star Chronicles. What happens when life becomes more hectic as a flamer destroys their friendship, changing their lives permanently?
1. Chapter 1

**Internet Life**

 **By: Cx3, CkSwCtWj, and The Mysterious Q**

 **Summary (PLEASE READ!): Hello, fellow Lunartics! The amazing CkSwCtWj, the awesome The Mysterious Q and I- Cx3 - have come together to create a Modern!AU. All of our favorite characters are having issues in their own lives. It's almost unbearable, until they begin to use the Internet. Cinder, Peony, Iko, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter are obsessed with a fictional book series, The Star Chronicles, written by Reyem** **Assiram. The girls bonded through an inter-web friendship, and soon they depend on the Internet as an escape to the hardships of life. But what happens when life becomes more hectic when a flamer comes in and destroys their friendship, changing their lives permanently?**

 **NOTE: In this certain chapter, Cinder is thirteen, Peony is eleven, and Iko is twelve (All characters are about three year younger). THIS FIRST CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BY CkSwCtWj.**

 **Prologue- The Day We all met**

The door to the apartment room swung wide open, and Cinder glowered at the figure who bounded in.

"Next time, ring the bell."

"But I knew it was open. Peony always keeps the door unlocked on Fridays," Iko tittered.

"That's what stalkers say," mumbled Cinder.

"I'm not a stalker."

"Right. Says the one who knows if my apartment door is locked or not," Cinder remarked sarcastically, and then she made a face when Iko stuck out her tongue. Her younger sister's long-time best friend- and Cinder's relatively new friend- was a bit of an annoyance. That was an understatement. Iko could be completely irking if she wanted to be.

But, Cinder had to admit that Iko was nice, unlike those snobby girls from the private school Peony always ranted about.

Just in time, Peony erupted out of her room, laughing and running into Iko's arms. Smiles wider than the galaxy spread across their faces.

"Iko!"

"Peony!" The two friends embraced happily, and Cinder rolled her eyes.

"Seriously," she muttered, "you guys are acting like you haven't seen each other in a week. You've been seeing each other at school ever since kindergarten. And now you've decided to start seeing each other on Fridays after school, for whatever you're doing."

"Sounds like someone is jealous," teased Peony. She poked Cinder in the sternum, and a slight ache formed as Cinder's anger bubbled. Defensively, she crossed her arms.

"What? I'm not even-"

"You're welcome to join us, if you want," Iko added. The two girls glanced at each other, and another course of giggling ensued. Cinder's eye twitched. But before she could make another sarcastic comment, the girls quickly fled- Iko's vibrant, dark blue braids flying behind her and Peony's skirt swishing against her thighs.

They could be so despicable.

But Cinder still loved them both. Even though Iko and Peony were closer in different ways, Cinder was still their friend. She didn't mind being left out, but it could get a bit frustrating that Peony and Iko didn't always include her in everything. Sighing, she rolled herself towards the tiny living room. Awkwardly, she tried plopping herself onto the couch, slipping off her wheelchair. But before she was entirely onto the couch, she caught Pearl smirking at her. She was lounging comfortably, with no wheel chair by her, on a different couch. The television was on, displaying an interviewer speaking to celebrity that Pearl, Peony, and Iko were fans of- Kaito, or whatever his name was. He was some star born of rich parents, and after singing a few songs on YouTube at age 5, he became a hit. Ever since, Kaito became a successful singer, and he was now around Cinder's age- about fourteen or so. Two years older than Cinder.

"Having trouble, wheelie?" Pearl jeered, snapping Cinder's thoughts back into focus. Wheelie. The stupid names Pearl called her were equally idiotic as they were rude.

"I don't know, sea clam, am I?" Pearl frowned as she said this, and a bit of success rose upon Cinder. Sea clam- that was a good taunt for someone with the name Pearl. All Cinder had to do to insult her sister was to say remarks about her silly name, while Pearl usually tended to make fun of her disabilities.

"Ash," Pearl snapped back.

"Prissy-pants."

"Soot-covered piece of junk."

"Useless rock in the sea."

"You little-"

"Hey, no cursing. Adri says not to, and I can use this against you," Cinder mocked. Even though they both knew that Adri wouldn't care about Cinder's opinion, Pearl huffed. This was the final straw for her. The girl's once annoyingly pleasant face was now steaming, and Cinder could practically see the waves of resentment sizzling off her.

"I can swear whenever I feel like it, and if you don't understand that, then you're messed up!" she shrieked."You're supposed to be quiet and obedient, like my servant. Shut up, will you?" Swiftly, she walked over to Cinder, who still wasn't completely off her wheelchair, and yanked it out from beneath her.

"Hey!" With a grunt, she landed on the floor beneath her, wincing from the ache. Her legs were pretty much useless, and if she did manage to get up, she would still have to hobble around with pain. Cinder wanted a prosthetic so badly, mainly because she thought it would limit her pain, but Adri refused to spend another bill for the _thing._

"That's what you get." With the grace of a professional killer, Pearl abruptly shut the wheelchair, closing the wheels and letting the arm rests fold in. In other words...It was going to break. Her evil hands throttled the chair threateningly, and Cinder felt completely useless. Desperation began to corner Cinder's mind. Living with a cruel sister like Pearl could lead to several things. That was the only wheelchair Cinder had. She owned it since she was eleven, since she was adopted, and it wasn't like Adri would be willing to buy one for her.

"Wait. You can't just leave me like this. It's going to take me at least ten minutes to get up." Helplessly, she tried to grasp for the chair that Pearl was holding up. "I need my chair." Indeed, it would take some time for her to get up, and even if she did, it would be difficult to walk around. Cinder was so going to get back at her step-sister. Sparks of deplore flashed in Cinder's vision as she acted like a lost puppy begging for a bone.

"Hmm," Pearl mused, ignoring Cinder's wails, "I can leave you without your hideous wheelchair, useless and pathetic. But that would be mortifying to me as well. You would follow me around, weak and insignificant. So, I suppose there's only one option left." Simply wanting Cinder to wait for her the final verdict, Pearl slowly picked at her cuticles. _Please don't call Adri,_ Cinder pleaded internally. _Please._

"What about, oh, I don't know...Mom." A Cheshire-cat curl formed on her evil step-sister's rouge lips.

"No. No, Pearl, please. Anything but-"

"MOM! Cinder's acting useless and she's not doing her work!" Pearl's shrill voice reverberated through Cinder's ears. Adri's response was immediate. Of course it was.

" _Cinder_." Oh no. Cinder grumbled to herself.

" _Cinder_! Did you vacuum the floor and wash the dishes yet? If you didn't, you're going to have to do more chores," she reprimanded from her bedroom. A shiver caused Cinder to growl. Ugh. _Chores._

"I'll do them later, when I can actually sit up," she called back. That was the wrong thing to say. Swiftly, Adri- murderous and snarling- burst out of her room. Feigning the innocence of an angel, Pearl quickly tossed the wheelchair away, on top of Cinder.

"You're going to do your chores now, understand?" Adri's silk kimono clung to her thighs, and strands of her newly-dyed black, wet hair were sticking out of the towel that wrapped around her head. She smelled of lavender and spices, but all Cinder smelled was trash and skunks. Adri was gripping her phone in her hand, and her knuckles whitened.

"I wouldn't call them chores. More like _death deeds_ ," she retorted as she slowly sat up as she unfolded her wheelchair. A stinging palm slapped her cheek, and although it was brief, Cinder felt the burn. She glared at Adri, who looked like she was going to kill someone.

"Get up, you lame girl. You're getting to be so lazy." And with that, Adri pulled Cinder's ear, too, as if a slap and hurtful words weren't enough. A scowl was imprinted on her lips, and her eyes were beady and casted a frosty stare toward Cinder. "Adopted, ungrateful _thing_." Something stirred in Cinder's gut, something like fire and anger. She wanted to scream at Adri, claim that she was human too, but she bite her tongue and buried her feelings deep down.

That was how it was in the Linh household.

That was how it was, and how it would always be. Cinder would always be regarded as some servant, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Ever since Garan left, left them with _nothing_ \- as Adri had put it- they were not much of a family. Peony and Pearl were crushed, and Cinder was just accustoming to an actual family. She was at an orphanage her whole life, after all, and quickly after Garan adopted her into the family, he was out. And now, Adri wanted to get rid of Cinder- throw her away with Garan, and keep Peony and Pearl.

Cinder had only fuzzy memories of the orphanage home; that was three years ago. She recalled being made fun of from the other kids and being scolded at by some of the mistresses there. She remembered wanting a home, a warm place.

This was not exactly a warm place.

With Pearl and Adri, who ran the show, Cinder's life was more miserable than she wanted it to be. She was so fortunate for Peony, though.

But Cinder couldn't attend a normal school- or a school at all. Peony and Pearl attended a preppy, high-standard school, and that costed money. Something that Adri wasn't willing to give up for Cinder. The public, free schools couldn't afford 'special programs for the disabled', so Cinder couldn't go to those either.

So she couldn't get a proper education. She had to learn online and teach herself the subjects, and once she got the hang of it, Cinder began more advanced classes. In fact, she could even do Peony and Pearl's homework.

She was smart, but staying at home was a major disadvantage because of Adri. Who made her do chores. An awful lot of them.

"Get in your chair, and do your work." Adri stiffened her back, and she briskly walked back into her room. Pearl snarled at Cinder, and she walked away too. Grumbling, Cinder made her way to the kitchen, and the cumbersome wheel chair groaned and squeaked as she rolled.

Her hands ached from scrubbing so many dishes, and they burned from the caustic soap. She had just finished vacuuming the floor- an awkward routine that included bending her back while shifting uncomfortably in her wheelchair- and washing all of the dishes till they shined. Cinder considered herself a good worker, but she still detested the things Adri made her do. Every single day- or maybe every hour- Adri would burst out from her room (Peony and Cinder called it her 'evil witch lab') and scream her lungs out at Cinder, telling her to do this and that. She was the most demanding and annoying person Cinder had ever known, not like there was much competition; Cinder didn't know much people, and her only friends were Iko and Peony.

Exhausted, her hands moved slowly across her wheels, bringing her back to the living room. She could finally relax.

But then, a warning popped up in her mind. If she was going to rest, Pearl would rat her out again and Adri would give her more chores.

Perhaps...Iko's voice rang through Cinder's ears.

 _You can join us, if you want._

Of course, Iko was probably just joking.

But it didn't matter. If Cinder went into Peony's room, at least she could hide out for a while. Cinder didn't have a room herself; she slept on the couch in the living room.

Even though she was positive that Iko and Peony would taunt her because she was interested, or 'jealous', in what they were doing, it was a lot better to go through that instead of cleaning. Truthfully, she really wasn't all that interested, and even though she did wonder what those two did in Peony's room, all she wanted was a time to rest. Or, more of a time to breathe- Adri was practically hovering over her shoulder the whole day, which was very out of character for someone who wanted to stay away from a disabled person.

But even though Adri claimed it was because _it's September, there are always more chores in the beginning of the school year and I'm just trying to see if you're getting work done since you can be a slacker_ , Cinder knew the real reason.

So Peony and Pearl could be held with Adri. And Cinder could be kicked out.

Cinder saw the contract papers, once. It was pretty blatant, sitting there on the dining room table, almost beckoning Cinder to read them and see Adri's name signed with dark ink on the thin contract line. Almost like Adri didn't feel the need to communicate with Cinder about it, that she should simply let her 'servant' find out on her own.

In which, Cinder was not in the very _least_ okay with Peony leaving her. But it wasn't like Adri cared for Cinder's opinions. And Adri was trying to get the most out of Cinder in the few months they might spend together, and her step-mother was watching her like a hawk.

Finally making it to Peony's room, she knocked on the door without another thought. Eagerly, the knob twisted to show a glowing face.

"I knew it! You just needed an invitation." Iko beamed.

"I'm coming to escape from-"

"Now, don't be shy," she added. "Come on in! We want to introduce you to a new world!" She twirled her braids with her fingers, a smile exploding on her tanned face. Cinder's cheeks twitched with the nerve of wanting to laugh, but she held it in. She held up her earplugs and Mp3 player, the only thing that Adri gave to her all these years she'd spent with them. They were also very outdated, but Cinder could care less; she was thankful for the little items she owned.

"A new world...right. Okay, I'm just going to plug in my music and-"

"Wait! Peony, come on. Show Cinder." Bouncing up and down, Iko pulled Cinder inside the room with the wheel of her chair. It was a difficult task for Iko to do; Cinder plus her wheelchair equalled heaviness. But Iko was bright and cheery nonetheless, happiness ready to burst from her bubble. Cinder scowled.

"Will you stop interrupting me? Iko, are you some annoying robot that never…" The insult was only half-way out. Her step-sister grinned broadly, holding up her laptop and showing Cinder the illuminated screen. The two giggly girls exchanged glances. Squinting at the screen, Cinder frowned.

"What the...Fanfiction? What's fanfiction?" She glared at the laptop, trying to make sense of the site Peony was showing her. ? Iko and Peony pouted like their bubble of happiness suddenly popped, and Peony lowered the laptop and collapsed back onto the floor. Then, Peony scoffed upsettingly, lying down on her fuzzy lavender rug. She ignored Cinder, which made her feel like she was acting like a jerk. But she didn't say anything wrong, right?

"Ugh. I can't believe I even know you," muttered Iko, casting a disgusted glare towards Cinder. "Seriously, you've never even _heard_ of fanfiction?"

"What? Am I supposed to know what it is?"

"Of course!" shrieked Peony form her comfortable position on the rug. "This is literally my life. Iko and I have been working on several fics for years! I can't even believe I live with you, for star's sake."

"Star's sake? Why are you using _The Star Chronicles_ lingo?" Cinder knew that both Iko and Peony were die-hard fans of The Star Chronicles, and Cinder herself loved the books, but she never personally heard them using language from the series.

The first book had come out recently, The Astrological Committee, and it was about twelve friends who'd met in middle school and proceeded to take on the personalities of the twelve Zodiac signs over the internet, running a blog where they roleplayed and wrote little stories about their Zodiac lives. Soon, their antics became known all throughout the internet. The chapters flip-flopped between their virtual lives and reality, which were two very different things.

The Astrological Committee focused on Ella, who online was known as "Virgo". After a nasty truth about her was spread, her social life falls to pieces. Which of course, is the ideal time to 1) begin flirting with Cancer, the most popular guy at school, 2) Start a massive online war.

"Because we write fics for it." The two girls then groaned in unison, rolling their eyes like Cinder was a lost cause.

"How was I supposed to know about that? You never even told me," Cinder pointed out. "And, remind me again, what exactly is fanfiction?"

"Only the most amazing thing ever!" squealed Iko. She jumped up and down, like a balloon with too much helium. The room fell silent- Peony typing madly on the keyboard, and Cinder was left confused. "What? It's true. Fanfiction is amazing."

"That doesn't help with the definition," Cinder said.

"Basically written fictional stories by fans. It's typically based off a movie, television show, book, et cetera," explained Peony. Finally, she looked up from the screen.

"Right. Or that," said Iko. "Either way, fanfiction is related to amazing!" Immediately, she brightened up. Her moods were so fickle- she could be so hyper or so sassy.

"And how is this a new world?" Cinder asked, skeptical. What had Iko meant about the whole 'new world' thing?

"Fandoms!" Peony and Iko doubled over in laughter, leaving Cinder clueless once again. Their peals of giggles coursed through the room, making Cinder feel like the third wheel.

"What? Wait, don't you mean kingdoms?"

A collective sigh suddenly escaped Peony and Iko's mouths, and her step-sister ran a hand through her silky black hair. "Looks like there's going to be a lot of explaining to do."

She couldn't read the words fast enough. She couldn't scroll fast enough. And worst of all, the computer couldn't load fast enough.

For the past hour, Cinder was able to escape Adri's wrath and manage to hide out in Peony's room. Iko and Peony explained fandoms and fanfiction and all the necessary terms. There were tons of them, it seemed, like flaming and A/N and R&R, but once she was taught the basic essentials, it was perfect. Everything about fanfiction was absolutely perfect; Iko was right

Fanfiction was the epitome of awesomeness.

And Cinder had already 'PM-ed', or private-messaged, a handful of people. Everyone in the fandom was relatively nice, so far. Cinder hadn't made an account yet, but she was definitely going to soon enough. She was using Peony's account, peonyflowers22, to talk to others about their stories and ideas on the series.

It was the closest thing to social media; Cinder couldn't say she didn't like it. It wasn't like Adri would let her have any exposure to social media. It's not like Cinder really wanted social media, anyway. Cinder thought it was stupid, and she didn't think that anyone would follow or like her posts, so what was the purpose?

So far, she met Peony and Iko's online friends. There was Scarlet, with an awesome pen-name of RedFire79. And Cress, or ComputerHacker, and another girl- who refused to reveal her real name- with a pseudonym of PrincessOfTheMoon. Within the two hours Cinder knew them, Cinder had already PMed them more than a 300 times. Her inbox was constantly full, and she had a goal: read two chapters, then PM. Read two more chapters. PM. Read again, and so on…

She could do this routine forever.

And Pea and Iko were more than happy to let Cinder read and review fics. They showed her around the site, exploring stories and laughing at some of the ridiculous crossovers- like, who would ever do The Star Chronicles crossovered with Dork Diaries?- and Cinder had never had such much fun in one hour. It was so rare...

She jinxed it.

A voice- a hauntingly disturbing and shrill voice- screamed her name. Cinder groaned.

"You didn't even bother cleaning the dinner table, Cinder!"

"Fine! I'm coming!" yelled Cinder. Oh, holy spades, that woman was going to be the death of her.

Peony, Iko, and Cinder shared a look. Then, with a measured sigh, Cinder tossed the laptop toward Peony. Iko stood up.

"I need to go, anyway," Iko said. She smiled, but Cinder could visibly see how fake it was. They were pretending everything was okay, that Cinder wasn't a slave, that she wasn't a disabled girl, that…

It wasn't their fault, though. Cinder had no idea why she was getting so worked up about it. It wasn't their fault.

"Okay. I'll walk you out," Peony chirped, trying to balance out the mood. Nonchalantly, she placed her laptop on her bed, but behind Iko's back, she gave Cinder a worried look and mouthed a few words.

Are you okay?

Nodding, Cinder managed a simper. What else was she supposed to do- confess her feelings? Not a chance. They wouldn't make a difference anyway, and it was pretty obvious that Cinder hated Adri. Peony sighed and turned around, following Iko and leaving the room door open for Cinder.


	2. Chapter 2

***Updated* A/N: Christmas chapter! Merry Christmas everyone! This chapter takes place in _current time_ and is about Cress. Last chapter was a prologue and took place in the past, and was showing when Cinder first discovered fanfiction. In this chapter, Cress has been on ff for years and in _The Star Chronicles_ fandom. **

**THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BY ME (Cx3)!**

 **Chapter 2- Where I am now**

 **~)0(~**

 _December 25th,_

 _Well, today is Christmas, and I'm alone again. Maybe it's just better that way. Though I have to admit that I'm lonely. I think I'll call Kai after I write this, but he might be busy because he's always around a million people._

 _Sybil is going to be gone until January. I don't think that's right, but at least there's food in the house this time._

 _My anxiety has gotten a little bit better, but not much really. At least I'm finally comfortable at school. I still can't handle crowds._

 _I've really been a fan of the 'The Star Chronicles' fandom basically forever. I have to admit I'm Pisces/Scorpio trash. And the fandom is just so lovely. I have more amazing friends online than in real life. We PM on fanfiction all the time, and have group chats on Drive a lot. They help me get through my days because many of them are also having hard life issues._

 _Cinder's stepmother is evil, from what she told me, and her sister, Peony, has deadly cancer. Scarlet just lost her parents. PrincessOfTheMoon's life (she never told me her real name) is stressing her out, though she's pretty vague about it. I'm just here dealing with a ton of anxiety._

 _This year I didn't get any cards or presents. Kai probably sent one, but it hasn't come yet. Makes sense. He's a super huge celebrity. Besides, the only thing I really want for Christmas is a new laptop. And maybe Carswell Thorne._

 _Hopefully all of our lives will get better soon_

 _Until next year,_

 _~Cress_

Deciding to call Kai after all, Cress moved her phone so it leaned against the lamp on her nightstand. Settling into a crisscross position on her bed she pressed the call button and stared at the screen. Kai's face flashed on it with a familiar _whoosh_ of whenever they facetimed.

They'd been best friends for years, yet they hadn't talked in over three weeks. When they were younger, they'd talk every day for at least an hour. Now they didn't speak often. Cress hated it. Just because Kai was famous and all shouldn't mean he should ignore her. They still shared the same strong bond from when they were younger.

"Hello?" Came his familiar voice. Cress smiled at the screen.

"Merry Christmas, Kai," she said with little emotion. If she were being honest with herself, she wasn't as happy as usual. Her 'stepmother' was always abusive and never home. She'd be gone for all of Cress's Winter break. After Kai, her only other real friends were online. They were the only people that _really_ understood her.

"Merry Christmas, Cress! How are things going? We haven't talked in forever!"

Kai was in his five-star hotel room. He was in Hollywood, where he was able to walk on the 'famous red carpet.' High-class decorations hung on the walls, and even a fake fire burned in a fireplace along the back wall. The single strand of lights hung on a lonely wall in her room couldn't even compare to his. She felt pathetic.

"Pretty good. I've been writing a bit recently. I was wondering if you wanted to come over for New Years?" She asked hesitantly. He probably had plans for the new year since November. No one would be coming over and she wouldn't be visiting anyone else. "I can make cookies or something, if you want. I` know you're in the city right now, but.." She trailed off.

He sucked in a breath. _Here it comes. Another decline._

"Well, I already did have plans. I will be home by then. You have an open invitation if you want to come _here_ maybe."

"Thanks anyway. I'll definitely consider it. I might have family coming over myself." Which wasn't true. Her anxiety tended to flare around more than three people. "I sent you a present, too."

"Thank you!"

She smiled. At least someone in real life seemed to appreciate her.

"Thank you back," she replied.

"I'm sorry. I know you're uncomfortable in crowds."

 _Uncomfortable_ was an understatement.

A high pitched tune rang through Kai's house from the doorbell. Cress tried to hide her disappointed emotions and smiled. " Don't worry about it. I guess that's your family?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later. Merry Christmas again." He hung up before she could say anything back.

Finally, all the emotions of the week, stress, pressure, and the conversation hit her at once. She couldn't help it; she began crying. Seeing everyone else, not just Kai, with other people just made her feel _worthless_. She had no one.

At least, no people in real life. That's when it occurred to her.

Jumping up, she scurried to the couch, where she had left her beat-up, slow laptop. Picking it up she turned it on and carried it to her bedroom.

She typed in the familiar URL. The website she went onto so much all she had to do was type the first letter: _F_.

She wrote a message to Revolutionary26, or as few knew her as, Cinder. She was probably busy, but they always talked anyway. They'd known each other for years. In fact, she was the first one she had became friends with. They were so close Cress even knew her little sister, Peony.

 _Hey, Cinder. Know you're probably horribly busy but I wanted to say hello and Merry Christmas. Having a horrible one this year._

Sure, the message was probably personal, but Cress wasn't worried. Online she had a tight group of friends, including Cinder, that she trusted.

Opening up The Star Chronicles archive, she saw that RedFire79, or Scarlet, had updated one of her favorite fanfictions, a Scisces (Pisces x Scorpio) AU. It'd been updated only for an hour, but she soaked it in. All two thousand words of it.

Checking her PM inbox afterward, Cinder had actually written back.

 _Oh no? Whyy? That's not fair. Can you come to Hangouts?_ Hangouts was a private place online where their group could talk with all them together at once instead of just having a one way conversation. _I'll try to get a few of the others on there too._

 _Sure. Thank you :)_

Logging into Hangouts, she was surprised to see three of her friends- Cinder, Peony, and Scarlet- were already on.

She wrote to them.

 _Hey guys. Merry Christmas. It's okay if you're busy and don't want to be here :)_

Scarlet wrote first.

 _Don't worry, Cress. We're here for you. Cinder said you were alone? BTW, thank you for leaving another review._

She wrote back: _It was my pleasure. And yeah, I'm all alone and I feel miserable._

 _I know how it feels to feel miserable. But on Christmas? That's no fair :( *hugs*_ Peony wrote.

Cress smiled. It was just like Peony to be going through that yet still care about others. She typed a quick thank-you to her.

 _Soo, any major plans going with you guys?_ She was honestly curious. They probably had differing traditions big time.

 _No.. I'm just on campus and no one is bothering me._ Scarlet said. Her grandmother's house had no internet, so she had to go to her college campus to get access. It was probably a hard adjustment for her. _My grandma might tell me to come home in a bot tho.  
_

Guilt plagued her. They didn't have to be talking to her when they could be enjoying themselves. In a way, it warmed her heart to know that they actually cared about her. _Aw guys I feel bad._

 _Don't,_ wrote Peony.

Everyone stopped talking for three minutes. Everyone ended up coming back with the same response.

 _Sorry, grandmother just yelled at me over the phone to come home. We'll talk later okay?  
_

 _I need to go to take my medicine._ Peony wrote. Her 'medicine' was more of a home 'stick a needle in your arm' treatment. _I'll be back in two hours, K?_

And last but not least, Cinder. _Adri's yelling at me to clean up. I promise we'll talk later._

 _Cya later guys, thanks again!_

Putting the slow computer off her lap, she let out a shaky breath and felt her heart speed up. Her breathing became quicker. Now she was really alone.

A small '1' appeared in the corner of her screen, indicating an email. She opened it up.

Ironic enough, it was a PM from PrincessOfTheMoon.

 _Ryu told me something wasn't right. So, my dear hacker, I just want to tell you that you are a lovely girl, inside and out. Even when you feel alone, we're always there for you even when we're not there exactly. Have a merry Christmas._

How in stars name did she know?

Outside a few flurries began to fall, and the sky darkened. Alone or not, she had friends, best friends that actually cared about her. That's what the PM was saying.

She smiled and looked at the swirling snow now falling heavily. A wave of reassurance passed over her. So maybe this wasn't the best Christmas. So maybe she was was 'technically alone.' The fears from before no longer mattered.

Because she always had someone to turn to.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is about Scarlet (set just right before the last chapter). This chapter was also written by CkSwCtWj.**

 **Enjoy! Next chapter will be up soon. Happy New Year to everyone! And if you don't celebrate, happy day :)**

* * *

A week.

She grimaced, zipping her winter jacket all the way up.

It had been a week.

Since the tears, the funeral, more tears...

The award assembly and phone call.

Scarlet almost wished that she had been there with them, there with her parents, just so she could be out of her misery right now.

Her parents- cold and gone and dead.

The train wheels squeaked in defiance, screeching and whining in defiance as it slowly lurched forward. Scarlet groaned as the cacophonous noise cracked through her ears. The mechanisms were beginning to croak with life. Glaring outside to see what was taking so long, Scarlet looked through the dusty, frosty windows of the old train. A frantic young woman was rushing to the train boarding station, her blonde hair tousled and her pink purse flopping behind her.

It was something Scarlet's mother would have done- be late. Her mom had been irresponsible, late for everything.

Her parents. It always circled back to them, a never-ending circle of torment, always back to them.

Luc, Scarlet's father, was a drunk. Mimi, his wife, was a beautiful and young and dumb woman, waiting to be plucked from the field of men. At least that was how Scarlet's grandmother put it, Luc's mother, when Scarlet had met her at the funeral the first time in years.

Luc and Mimi looked good together- Scarlet's father with his clean-shaved jawline and stark black hair, and her mother with her bloody-red curls and feminine form.

 _Bloody._

Shuddering, Scarlet attempted to push the mental image of her parents in the car, crushed and soaked in blood. She wasn't so sure how to feel about the whole incident, to be honest. She wasn't even there.

Before the car crash, Scarlet had hated her family. She used to loathe her parents. Her alcoholic, party-goer parents who had barely paid heed to their growing daughter. And now- of course she was grieving, but her emotions were having constant battles with each other, and Scarlet was left perplexed. Feel sad, or don't feel sad?

Never helping her with anything. Making their daughter fend for herself. Ignoring her whines and tears when all she craved for was a bit of attention. Once even locking her in her room for days, because she was being 'bad'. Like she was some scrappy, useless dog that was chained to terrible owners. The only thing that kept Scarlet alive, all these years, was fanfiction. _The Star Chronicles_. How she loved Reyem Asirram- her savior. After going to a local store to buy the series, and quickly finishing them, Scarlet had began writing stories. Soon after that, around the age of 15, she started publishing them. On fanfiction , she met tons of amazing and inspiring writers, such as Cinder, Iko, Peony, Cress, and...PrincessofTheMoon.

But it wasn't like her parents knew a single thing about fan fiction, or her love for reading and writing. Her parents never even showed up for a single school graduation- not a single event in even even Scarlet's senior high school winter award assembly. She won the most awards, too. Maybe she would be the valedictorian by the time summer graduation rolled around.

Her parents had been driving back from a club, or some reckless party, and they were still rather disoriented and drunk, according to the police. Scarlet had perused through all of the police reports, relentlessly talked to several officers, even asked to speak to some witnesses. Luc and Mimi had swerved the car right and left by an intersection, and Officer Toulouse- the main police officer she had asked questions to- spotted them right away. But it was too late- her parents crashed into another car that was making a turn, then they were flung from their seats. They wore no seatbelts, Toulouse had said. Not to mention, as soon as they skyrocketed from the impact of the crash, another car that was making a left had skidded into them, and then another one…

Her parents were, so far, the only casualties. The others involved in the accident were in critical condition, probably dying at a hospital.

Two worthless lives- taken.

Yet somehow, Scarlet felt like a part of her was chopped off when she found out about her parents' death. Scarlet had been in denial, at the moment.

Shortly after the award assembly at her high school, Scarlet had went to Sophie's, her close friend, house for a celebration with a bunch of other people from their grade. But the party was short-lived. As soon as she stepped inside of Sophie's house, her phone blared out _Alpha Dog_ by Fall Out Boy, her ringtone.

She remembered being shell-shocked at the _9-1-1_ number, hesitating whether or not to slide and accept the call. And the unmeasurable, unexpected amounts of dread filling her soul.

After all these years, her so-called stupid parents were dead.

It made her think about an old saying her grandmother said, when Scarlet was much younger… _You don't appreciate what you have until it's gone_ …

They were drunks. They deserved it.

But, miraculously, a part of her actually missed them.

It was impossible.

But Scarlet did. She had curled up in a ball when she abruptly left Sophie's house, ignoring her friend's pleas to _stay and relax because of the tons of cute boys she invited…_

Agonizing wails and screams had collapsed from her lips as Scarlet sobbed in her room, the call from the officer stuck in her head like a horribly catchy song.

Dead, the woman on the phone had said. _Announced dead at approximately 9:00 P.M. Come to the police station as soon as possible. My condolences..._

It was a bunch of bologna. And Scarlet recalled staying in her room, confused and upset and all alone, for at least thirty minutes. Her already messy, curly hair was swept up in a wild, fiery mane of a lion, and her face physically hurt from the tears and the unexpected pain. Scarlet's brain had been mushed with emotions. It had felt like a sword had sliced straight through her entire body, skewing her.

Eventually, though, she made it to the police station, looking like a wreck.

And then, the funeral. It was the day after the incident- poorly planned. Luc's phone was found at the bottom of the car, crushed but still functioning. Scarlet had asked to get a hold of it, and then scrolled through his contacts, calling every single person on the list, telling them of Luc and Mimi's death.

Some people didn't respond.

The ones who did sounded like they were drunk.

And she had called her grandmother. Scarlet didn't even know that she still had close family, last she saw her was more than a decade ago, and they used to even live together, but Luc and Mimi wanted to move closer to the city. Away from Grandmere. But she found her grandmother's number on her dad's phone, with the name of _Mom_.

The funeral went on, taking place at a pathetic graveyard. Meek and meaningless. Scarlet barely had enough money to host one, and she was broke by the time she hired a funeral director. She depleted most of her savings account from her job as a waitress, but she still wanted to hold a proper funeral for her parents.

The people who showed up were creepy, giving Scarlet suggestive looks. Only her grandmother genuinely hugged Scarlet, strong and confident and crying. Scarlet thought she would like her again, learn to bond with her after all those years.

That was before the funeral ended.

After false words given from a speaker, saying that Luc and Mimi would be _dearly missed_ , the funeral concluded, and her grandmother spoke sternly. Her words had rung with meaning- she wanted Scarlet to stay with her. Live with her, move out of the city and join her next week by the farm.

Scarlet had been livid.

She recalled lashing out, telling Grandmere that she didn't need charity, that she was grown-up and could handle her own life… But her grandmother didn't give her much of a choice. She had handed a train ticket to Scarlet and told her to pack up her important belongings by a week. Apparently, Scarlet's house was already put up on the market, mainly because Luc and Mimi were so behind on their bills. Or perhaps the bank would take the house.

And then, Grandmere had left. Like this was something Scarlet was supposed to be okay with. Because her grandmother lived on a farm, and that was significantly different than living in a city. Obviously, Scarlet had thought about retaliating, but where would she go? It was Winter Break now. Plus, college wasn't starting soon, and she didn't have enough money to even rent a floor of an apartment. And her friends? Not the supportive type.

It also turned out the college she was planning to attend in a year or so- University of Luna- was a mere ten minute walk from where her grandmother lived.

So that was how Scarlet, glowering and trying so hard not to dissolve into angry, upset tears, ended up on the train.

The musty smell of grease filled the halls as the door cracked open once again, letting the late woman in. An annoyed conductor mumbled something under his breath, but the woman suddenly smiled, and he blushed.

Quickly, the blonde broke apart from the conductor's stare, and she scanned the aisles for a seat.

None left.

Well, except for the one conveniently next to Scarlet.

"May I?" the blonde-haired woman asked, breathless from running. Reluctantly, Scarlet moved aside her luggage and scooted over, and the woman let a sigh of relief before plopping down. Her cheeks were flushed, a lovely shade of red, and she wore a fashionable coat and a black shawl.

"I'm Emilie!" The young woman extended her hand, a lilting French accent among her voice.

"Name's Scarlet." She briskly shook hands with the woman, dreading where this was going.

"I can tell you're French. I am too, if you couldn't tell already." Emilie managed a cheeky grin.

Scarlet grunted. This was going to be a train ride of torture.

* * *

"I know, I know. It's nothing you're accustomed to," Grandmere said, showing her around the farm. "But it's not in the middle of nowhere. There are two schools over there," she added, pointing outside the window to two adjacent and large building campuses. "A men's military school right by your future university. It's perfect- you only need to walk for a few minutes to get there." Her grandmother smiled, and she undid her shoulder-length, gray braid again.

Scarlet couldn't help but let loose a moan. This was worse than she thought it would be.

An actual farm. Barn. With animals. The overbearing scent of manure and dead flies suddenly came at her then, invading her unfortunate nostrils.

"If this is your definition of perfect, then I'd like to see your definition of okay," Scarlet retorted, planting her hands on her hips.

"Why don't you at least try to be grateful?" her grandmother snapped, startling Scarlet.

Nobody had ever snapped back to Scarlet's comments, ever. Nobody. Usually, her parents would, petulantly, send her to her room, and Scarlet would put up a fight…

She could already tell that things were going to be very different with Grandmere.

Huffing, Scarlet rolled her eyes. "It's not like I want to be here, so why should I pretend to be?"

"Why aren't you happy? I'm giving you a new life."

A new life. Scarlet withheld a scoff.

"My parents. My friends. My home! Don't you know what this is- how this is impacting me?"

"Stop being so self-centered! What is with you?" Then quietly, "You're not the Scarlet I knew, or remembered."

"Well, that was ten years ago, and maybe things are different now." Glaring at her grandmother, Scarlet snarled, and she reached for her suitcase, but a stern hand stopped her.

"If you're going to act like some spoiled city kid, I suggest you leave, now."

Silence. Scarlet felt the tension burning between them, and red flashes and flecks spotted her vision. Her heart race was racing as her face grew a murderous crimson pigment.

"Fine, then! I don't need your-"

"Wait," her grandmother said. "I didn't mean it that way, Scar."

Scarlet bristled at the old nickname her father had used to call her. "Don't call me that."

" _Scarlet_. Listen, I just...I know it's going to be hard for you to adjust. But things will get better, okay?"

Not knowing what to say, Scarlet nodded. A tear slipped out from her eye, and she hastily wiped it away.

"I think...I think I would like some time alone," Scarlet said, reaching for her luggage. This time, her grandmother didn't stop her.

"Okay. Your room is the one next to the bathroom, upstairs." Sighing, her grandmother also added, "There's no internet access, by the way."

Scarlet's heart dropped, like a gavel falling on a judge's desk.

No internet?

Then...fanfiction...her only tether to her friends...her only…

"But, I need it! Without access, I can't do anything here, and-"

"I'll make use of you, Scarlet. You're not going ot get bored here, you know." And her grandmother smiled.

 _Smiled._

A disgusted growl crept up Scarlet's throat.

"I'm heading to the school campus, to check it out before the semester starts. And to see if there's actually internet access." Furious, Scarlet zipped open her suitcase and fished for her tablet, then threw on her tennis shoes.

"Now? But you just-"

She didn't hear the rest of her grandmother's response as she slammed the screen door shut, cursing under her breath. Scarlet blew the red, askew hair from her face as she sprinted away from her grandmother's stupid farm. A few chickens squawked as she kicked gravel in the way, but she simply snarled at them.

Stupid farm. Stupid animals. Stupid grand-

No. Scarlet took a deep breath as she ran to the school campus. No, her grandmother only meant good…

The school campus was fairly large and new, but honestly, Scarlet wasn't that interested in looking around, as she had told her grandmother. She just needed to breathe. And find some internet access, for star's sake.

Grumbling, Scarlet sat down at the front entrance of the school, and she turned on the power button of her tablet. Impatiently, she drummed her fingers on her kneecap, and finally the electronic device brightened.

Internet access. Status- available. Scarlet's heart rose.

The first thing she did was to check her email- for PMs regarding fanfiction. Humming, and already in a slightly better mood, Scarlet checked her inbox. Revolutionary26 had asked for her to check her hangouts. Scarlet typed a hasty message to her friends, who had already been chatting on Hangouts.

 _Hey guys._

Responses all at once.

 _Scarlet, where were you?_ Cinder.

 _Ah, lots of things… going on…_

 _Nevermind._ She quickly wrote.

But it was too late, of course her friends were going to want to know what had happened.

Peony's icon showed up- a pink peony flower- as the message she sent popped up on Cinder's screen.

 _Aww, what? Tell us!_

Scarlet deliberated.

 _Something wrong, Scarlet?_ Cress.

 _OMS, tell us!_ Iko wrote, obviously wanting to scope out on information.

 _Scarlet-friend, what is wrong? Ryu knows you too well._

Shuddering at the uncanny message Winter wrote, Scarlet sighed. She was dumping problems on her friends. it wasn't worth it.

 _Maybe later_ , Scarlet wrote, and _I also have to leave_.

She ignored her friends' protests as she signed out. Right now, all that mattered was that there was Internet access at the campus.

Scarlet also, admittedly, owed an apology to her grandmother.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Chapter by The Mysterious Q. Also a Winter chapter :D (Love this thing it's my life in a nutshell)**

 **Chapter 4- Her Virtual Alter-Ego**

 _Breathe_.

Winter stared at the cover of _Glamour_ , barely recognizing herself. Her brown-gold eyes had been heavily mascaraed and lined with glittery blue eyeshadow. Her mouth was brightened with a red that looked like blood. Cheekbones had been accented and blushed. Every little alteration, pushing her towards a perfection that didn't exist.

And that _dress_. Stars. Thousands and thousands of dollars, that could have been used to feed the starving and research cures to cancer, instead used to make a flimsy gold dress with impossibly thin straps and disgustingly short hem. Her neck was draped with gold and diamonds, her wrists circled with sapphire bracelets.

It wasn't her. It couldn't be. Winter wanted to _mock_ the girl on the cover. Her heart sank as she realized what everyone in the world thought of her, all seeing her in the same, shallow ways, and forming their own opinions of hatred or admiration or jealousy. She would be speculated about: what next movie she'd star in, who her next boyfriend would be-

She'd never even had an actual boyfriend. Her agents forced her to pretend to date some guy or another at intervals for publicity, and she'd felt sick holding their hands with no emotion at all. She'd had to kiss random strangers, her first kiss stolen by a celebrity whose name she didn't even remember. When to be truthful, all she wanted was Jacin. Aces, Jacin…

Who was probably back home right now, holding the magazine. Who was looking at the picture with a betrayed expression on his face. Winter had promised Jacin that she'd never change, and because he'd been her best friend since birth, he believed her. She wanted to believe he still did, but how could he? Not when their phone times became more and more limited, when texting wasn't enough, and when the media screamed otherwise.

She missed him. He was tucked in the distant suburbs of Chicago, far away from the sparkle of the city, living in a plain, two-story town house. She was in Hollywood, in a five-star hotel, unable to escape. She missed him. She missed _everything_ … wearing funny sweatshirts without anyone telling her not to… binge-eating bags of Goldfish and joking about cheese slaughter… the media not caring about her… gah. Feels.

She feared revealing herself to the world, because she knew no one would quite understand. She had woven her own trap and then proceeded to entangle herself into it. No… not quite, the trap wasn't her own doing. It was someone else's, ever since Winter's mother committed suicide.

Thank the constellations that the media didn't know about _that_ yet.

* * *

When Winter auditioned, she had a panic attack.

It sounded so irrational, she knew. But at her point of misery, she was definitely entitled to be hiding in the bathroom, in a mess of tears.

Ironically, she'd _dreamed_ of being in this. Her favorite series ever, _The Star Chronicles_ , by Reyem Assiram, which she'd written fanfic and baked constellation cupcakes for, was finally being made into a movie. And she had a chance to be in it. So… why was she sobbing her guts out?

Because her journey there was just so twisted and messed up and wrong that the destination didn't even matter anymore.

Starting with the fact Jacin wasn't there to wipe the tears off her face- no, if Jacin was there, she wouldn't even be crying in the first place.

* * *

The story started when Winter was twelve years old.

It was Christmas, the last Christmas she'd ever get to celebrate with her mom.

Her mom… had a soft-spoken, kind personality, and reminded Winter of warm cookies and freshly fallen rain. Winter missed her so much.

Snow swirled outside the windows, glass panes coated with frost. Winter was on the floor, wearing fuzzy socks and sweatshirt. She hummed along to Christmas carols while wrapping gifts for the children in hospitals.

Winter liked to give… it was the only way she felt she was any use to the world. She liked to think that she helped put a smile on someone's face, so she put heart and soul and dreams into the crinkly red wrapping paper, hoping someone would like what was inside.

She'd received goofy, endearing gifts from Jacin: a card satirizing Frosty the Snowman, a game piece from "Trouble", and a hilarious video of him singing opera.

Winter had probably loved Jacin her entire life, but only now were the crush symptoms beginning to show, and they were _annoying_. Her mind seemed to enjoy glitching at all times, whether he was or wasn't around. She wondered if he thought she was pretty, which was ridiculous. She blushed a lot around him, which was also ridiculous. And she thought about kissing him, which was embarrassing beyond belief.

She was turning thirteen in a month. The word _teenager_ had certain connotations. Winter was an avid reader, so she already knew that it would bring certain unwanted symptoms, but she supposed it was a disease everyone would get diagnosed with at some point or another.

So for Christmas, Winter gave Jacin two presents. One was a signed copy of an _Imagine Dragons_ album.

The second was her heart. But she supposed he'd always had it.

Winter's mother had given her a winter-themed pack of nail polish (Winter's nails were now painted snow white, ring fingers had blue snowflakes), and a paperback copy of _Astrological Committee_ , a book she'd been wanting for some quite some time.

Winter skimmed the blurb before going to bed that night. Since it was nine o'clock at night and she was kind of tired, she decided to read twenty pages or so.

She ended up staying up until four to finish the book. Her mother found her next morning, making muffled whale noises into her pillows.

"Something wrong?"

Winter pointed towards _Astrological Committee_ "I have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR FOR THE NEXT BOOK? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

* * *

Which birthday was the most important?

People would give a variety of different answers, all with sets of reasons, but Winter would definitely say thirteenth.

Now, she was entitled to relating to the so-relatable posts floating around the internet, and teenage angst with an actual reason. Her Gmail account was no longer illegal, (whoops), and neither was her Tumblr account (double whoops). But mostly, on her thirteenth birthday, she was finally allowed to have a Fanfiction account.

She couldn't wait for the second book. It was _agonizing_. So one day, when she was bored, she searched up some of the characters online… and after twenty minutes or so of digging around, she found Fanfiction.

At first, the writers on there seemed like celebrities, something she could never become. But as she became more familiar to the site, she began leaving reviews, realizing that not all the stories were good, and getting tired of waiting for her favorite stories to update. So she decided that on her thirteenth birthday, as a gift to herself, she'd make herself an account.

So on Winter's birthday, she woke up at 8:51 AM, consumed three pancakes that were drowning in syrup, and had a phone call with Jacin, who was currently vacationing in Florida.

 **Winter: Hey guess what day it is.**

 **Jacin: National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. *Pop pop***

 **Winter: Really?**

 **Jacin: Yeah, look it up. But anyway, happy birthday!**

Afterwards, Winter went through the process of signing up for Fanfiction. She chose the username PrincessOfTheMoon, because she figured all the constellations were already taken. Then, she fiddled around with her account, getting confused with all the forums and private messagings and communities, and the fact she had to wait a good twelve hours before publishing any story.

Then Winter shrugged. Whatever. She had time to learn.

Opening a new document, she began to write her very first fanfiction.

* * *

Winter missed those days where no one knew her name.

For two years, she a loner at her school… no one really wanted to talk to her, because they thought she was weird. When middle school started, she realized it. Winter tried hard not to care… she didn't even want to be popular… she couldn't _stand_ girl locker room talk.

"This boy is cute. That girl is so this, she's so that. My Uggs are tailor-made… OMG did you hear that Celeste and AJ are going out? (Something about makeup)."

Winter spent most of her time outline. Online, people were _themselves_ , unrestricted by looks and awkwardness and popularity. Online, it didn't matter that if your hair was frizzy or curly… it mattered if you were interesting and kind and sarcastic. Online, she met her friends.

She loved how reviewers would go out of their way to put a smile on her face, and how her Tumblr friends would just go crazy during midnight, reposting and partying and spamming and laughing. Winter became best friends with Revolutionary26, who drew fanart and had the most wry sense of humor, peonyflowers22, Cinder's fangirling stepsister, RedFire79, who was never afraid to speak her opinion and whose fanfiction always played on the dangerous side, and ComputerHacker, who was a the epitome of the phrase "Precious Cinnamon Roll".

They were the ones who were there for her when tragedy struck.

One morning, Winter went to go wake her mom up. When she opened the door to the room, she was greeted with the sight of her mom lying in a pool of blood, and her father and some strange lady in bed together. Winter screamed, threw up on the ground, and ran into her room and refused to come out, crying until her eyes were puffy and bloodshot.

Winter wasn't stupid. She put together the pieces easily- her father had been cheating on her mom for quite some time, and when her mom found out, she killed herself.

During that time, Winter's life took a downward spiral. Her father married the woman- Levana. Levana forced her to audition for movies and advertisements, and to dress in provocative clothing. Levana never allowed Winter anywhere Jacin again… conversations were now held over texting.

As Winter's fame grew, her sanity crumbled. PTSD and stress and hallucinations plagued her every night. She was unable to escape.

The internet became Winter's sanctuary. She could say what she really felt there, what she couldn't in a million years say in real life.

* * *

The day before Winter's audition, she was on her laptop.

 **Revolutionary26- I'm so excited for the new TSC movie! You guys?**

 **peonyflowers22- Sameeeee.**

 **Revolutionary26- Ugh did you hear that Winter Hayle-Blackburn might play the role of Pisces?**

 **RedFire79- OMS that's not acceptable. She can't.**

 **ComputerHacker- That is SO not acceptable. She'd completely mess up the part. Like, there's way too many beautiful girls on screen nowadays, and Pisces isn't like that. Pisces has an average face, and so does Scorpio, but she and him both have amazing personalities and that's why we love them. It's going to make me sick watching Winter trying to act like her.**

 **RedFire79- Hollywood. *smh***

 **Revolutionary26- Amen.**

Winter stared at the screen in shock.

It was then when Winter felt completely alone. No one in the world knew who she was… those who knew her as a celebrity didn't know her personality, and those who knew her personality hated her celebrity persona. Two alter egos warred, and no one knew about both of them.

Except Jacin.

Where was he tonight? Winter didn't want him to deal with her anymore… she should've stopped talking to him, stopped dragging him into her screwed up life.

What kind of monster was she?


	5. Chapter 5

**I (Cx3) wrote the chapter. A big thanks to BananaKisses for beta-reading! I am sorry for not updating sooner!**

* * *

Cress opened up Firefox for probably the tenth time that day, waiting for the oh-so-special alert to pop up to say that Scarlet got her message. Was she able to get on the internet? Concern began to build up in her stomach. Mistress would be back. And soon. Not having the comfort of her friends there—even if it was through the internet—always made her introverted and depressed.

She leaned against her small headboard to her twin bed, which took up more than half the tiny closet of a room she was forced to stay in. Not to mention the smelly old and hard mattress beneath her. From what she overheard from Mistress, it was from the junkyard. It also belonged to not one, but many cats. The smell was nearly unbearable, which was why Cress hardly ever went there.

But tonight was different. Tonight, she was locked in. And panicking. The lock to her door had been on the outside as long as she could remember.

 _"What's this?" Sybil snarled, taking the poster hanging on the wall and yanking it off. "Why is this place such a wreck? You were supposed to keep it clean while I've been gone."_

 _Cress stood awkwardly in the corner, head tilted down. As she was only four and a half feet tall, Sybil towered over her like a tree._

 _She sniffed. "I-I'm sorry. I just thought it looked nice."_

 _"And do you realize how much of my printer ink this took? And did you clean at all?"_

 _A tear ran down her cheek. Fear flooded her veins._

 _"I was gone for three days. That's three days you should've spent not wasting your time." She trailed off. "You know what happens when you don't do well, Crescent."_

Cress flinched, still feeling the scars on her back as if they were inflicted yesterday. Ever since then she had not only been hurt, but locked up constantly.

"Scarlet..." she breathed under her breath. Her foot began to twitch—a sign of her claustrophobia kicking in. Her fingers tapped nervously on the keyboard. Faster and faster.

Maybe the computer was having a delay? Mistress was originally going to throw it out for it being so slow, but Cress had saved it and stashed it in her room for emergencies like this. She had been able to cleanse the computer of most of its viruses, making it much more efficient, but it lacked protection software and was constantly getting new viruses and issues.

At least she had the computer. Almost every day she had to stick it into the small opening under her bed so it couldn't be seen. Sometimes Cress suspected that Mistress knew, but as she had yet to do anything about it. It was probably better for the both of them.

Her eyes flicked to the screen. The changing headline had caught her eye more than enough.

 _CRIMINAL CARSWELL THORNE PUT BACK INTO PRISON_

She clicked it as fast as she could. There was a bright picture of him. He was smiling broadly and winking at the camera, his sandy hair ruffled slightly. The photographer seemed to have turned up the contrast and saturation in the picture, accentuating his chiseled features and loose tan jacket.

She almost sighed. Her longtime crush on him did little to calm her nerves. When she told Cinder about it once, she had laughed and said sarcastically, " _You guys are obviously soulmates_."

The article said more about his amazing getaways from the police, and how he marked every house he went to with the initials _CCT_. Detectives eventually discovered his pattern when he stole. Or, " _borrowed_ " as he said. It was always the houses that had no security, no pets, and missing residents.

Cress guessed he'd have to come up with a new tactic. When—no _if_ —he escaped they'd be able to find him again—assuming he kept the same habits. Losing any silly hope a teenage girl could have, she backed out of the page and checked her messages again, where, at last, Scarlet had replied.

* * *

Scarlet rushed, speeding much past the low speed limit. It was hard living without internet. Impossible, even. Maybe for someone like her Grand-Mère, it would be extremely easy, but for someone like her who lived most of her life on the internet, it was _hard_.

Fortunately, the little cafe on campus provided a pleasant atmosphere, and she didn't mind spending her afternoons surrounded by the smell of baked goods.. She pulled out her laptop quicker than quickly, like a cheetah running after its prey. Her eye twitched slightly with impatience. The connection wasn't the worst, but it wasn't the greatest either—a little slower than she hoped for. Finally, her tab loaded and 's welcome page glowed on her screen.

"What are you doing, Scarlet?"

Narrowing her eyes, she looked around. She hated being interrupted during her writing spurts.

"Writing," she sighed.

"Writing what?"

She sank further into her seat. It was another question that made her skin crawl with irritation.

However, the only other person besides the few staff members clanking around in the kitchen was a tall, tough-looking man on his tablet reading some article or text column. While she was slouching in her small corner booth, that donned burgundy seats (to show 'school pride', she had been told), he was sitting on the end chair at the tall counter.

She pulled down her laptop screen and jumped. A perky blonde girl stood in front of her, waiting for an answer. Her brilliant smile faded somewhat. "Are you alright?"

Scarlet let out a breath. Oh. It was that girl...Emilie. From the train ride. "Good afternoon, Emilie," she managed to say. Emilie cocked her head and smiled again. The man at the counter looked up for a second at them, but then back down to his tablet.

"Hello, Scarlet! I'm so glad to have seen you again! Are you having a good day?"

Scarlet frowned a bit and shook her head. "It could be better, but yeah. Do you take orders away from the counter?"

Emilie's curls bounced around her face. "Of course!"

"May I please have a Caramel Cocoa? Extra whipped cream."

"Sure thing. It might take a moment, though...Gilles is having trouble with the milk."

Scarlet smiled. Be polite, be polite. "That's fine."

Emilie took a moment to gaze at Scarlet's hair before brushing back her own. With a smile, she walked away back to the kitchen. Scarlet shrugged it off and reopened her laptop. With a click, she opened up Hangouts, and her chatroom with Cress was in bold and a new message had appeared. It was strange. Normally Cress would say anything in the group chat with all of them included. It had to be serious.

 _Scarlet_ , it read, _panicking again. Sorry to bother you. Hope stuff is okay._

She typed back quickly, _What's Wrong?_

The reply was instant. _Sybil._

She didn't know what to say. Scarlet had known for quite a while that Sybil was abusive, but so much as to drive Cress to _only_ messaging Scarlet? It was a rare thing indeed.

 _Are you okay? What's going on?_

 _I'm locked up Scarlet. She locked me in my room. I'm scared..._

Almost gasping aloud, she put a hand over her mouth. Locked up? She had to force herself not to reach for her phone. She knew Cress wouldn't want her to call the police, but now Sybil was into the realms of criminal offence. Instead, she tried to comfort her friend. _Stay calm. Breathe in and out. Are you doing that?_

Three bubbles said that Cress was typing. _Yeah. Thanks for responding, Scarlet. I thought that something was wrong._

Chipper Emilie came out and set her drink down with a straw, all while saying, "Enjoy."

* * *

 _Everything's fine for now. Are you still breathing?_

Cress sucked in a deep, deep breath, filling up her lungs to the brim. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

 _I am. Thank you. I feel better._

It was mostly true. Her heart was still thundering from the claustrophobia and nerves, but the process still gave her a faint feeling of comfort.

Until the thundering car rolled into the rocky driveway.

 _Sybil's back! I'm sorry, Scarlet. I have to put away the computer._

 _It's completely fine. Hey...you know, you should really try and get ahold of—_

Cress didn't have time to finish reading Scarlet's message. She quickly shoved the computer into its hiding spot, and whimpered as the front door clicked open.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter by CkSwCtWj. Some edits by me.**

* * *

Cinder wasn't sure what the worst part about visiting her sister in the hospital was. Since her sister had leukemia, she lived fulltime in the white building. So far the bone marrow transplants weren't adapting to her body, so she was again in the long process of constant physical sickness. The slightest fall or bump blossomed her body with bruises.

There was the ticking- the constant humming and beeping of the machines in the hospitals. And the sickly, bleach smell filling Cinder's nostrils. Or the worry during the waiting process. What had happened- did Peony change much from last Cinder saw her? It had only been a few days since Cinder came here.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she gnawed nervously on her lip. Her leg began to throb then- a constant reminder that even though she was out of her wheel chair, her prosthetics weren't perfect, either. Leg cramping was a symptom, and it had always been aching her leg since the day she got them.

It had been about a year since Cinder received the prosthetics on her left leg. She was officially a 'cyborg', as Pearl always called her. The wheelchair was long gone. Half of her leg had been amputated, and in place of flesh was a skinny rod of metal. Cinder felt fortunate enough that she could get the operation done. Though, Cinder was sure Adri only let her have the operation so she would be able to do more chores, and in a faster amount of time. Plus, it turned out the prosthetic surgery was actually covered by their health plan, and Adri was taking full advantage of that. After all, Peony did have leukemia.

Pea had been diagnosed with stage one of leukemia a few years ago. That's how most cancers went- the cause was unknown. It was most likely some genetic mutation and rapid cell growth. Today, the doctors working with Peony notified Adri that she was now in the middle of battling stage 2, which was the reason why Cinder was sitting in the waiting room.

There were a glut of leukemia cancers, but the one Peony had- rare for adolescents, too- was _chronic lymphocytic leukemia_. CLL was something that would progressively get worse. Like watching a fruit rot and decay in front of one's eyes.

Translation: Peony was slowly dying.

"Cinder. It's your turn," Adri said. She had just emerged from the corridor across the waiting room."I'm going to leave now. Stay here as long as you want, but make sure on the way home, grab the groceries we need." Fishing some money out of her purse, she also added, "Take the bus home. I'm not going to pick you up because Pearl is going to come home in a hour or so from school, and I want to comfort her with the news."

Something tightened underneath Cinder's sternum, and she knew that Adri was being a phony. _Comforting Pearl_. When was the last time Adri ever _cared_ for Cinder? "Fine," she half-snarled, taking the money from her.

"Don't spend it on anything else, you hear me?"

"Yes, I am capable of hearing. Just because I have a prosthetic, doesn't mean I can't _hear_."

"You still have a problem," Adri sneered. "You're practically a robot."

Rolling her eyes, Cinder added, "Yeah, and when one of your daughters is diagnosed with cancer, you start dabbing your eyes and letting everyone know that she's such a poor child. You start telling everyone around you about Pea and how she's sick, and you receive money from that- people give you cash for Pea, but-"

Adri neared Cinder, her face pinched in disgust, and breathed into Cinder's face."How rude of you to talk to me this way in public. We'll talk about this at home," Adri growled under her breath. She sniffed, giving Cinder a look of pure disgust.

Cinder forced herself to meet her stepmother in the eye.

With that, Adri walked out, like nothing had happened.

Ignoring Cinder, like she wasn't telling the truth. _Again_.

* * *

"Of course!" Peony giggled. "I just had to take the offer." She grinned, but the smile troubled Cinder.

It was such a different smile from the Peony a few years ago.

Cinder blinked a bit, feeling uncanny. Every time she came to visit, she almost always expected to see that healthy, glowing Pea, but that girl was long gone. Although Peony was still the fangirl, happy sister Cinder loved, she had lost a significant amount of weight. Plus, the red, bruise spots and the bumps on her neck caused Cinder to cringe.

"Oh," Cinder said, faking a smile. "I'm glad you can officially write fanfiction, now."

"I know! Full-time access to a laptop, Internet access and all."

Cracking her knuckles, Cinder went over to lie in the hospital bed. She knew that if she was caught, she might get in some trouble, but she wanted to be as near as her sister as she could. Peony immediately made room for her, and she scooted to the right.

"You...you think I'm going to be alright?"

Pursing her lips, Cinder stared at her sister's pale face. "I hope so. I mean, I spoke to Dr...Dr. Erland. Before I walked in, I saw him. Is that his name?"

"Yep, he's one of my regular doctors."

"Yeah, and he said...Well, you've been in the hospital for some months. And the study team is still trying to undergo the curing process. But the process- Induction, I think- is taking a bit longer than usual. Luckily, though, CLL is a cancer that has a slow rate...so…"

"I don't consider that lucky," Peony said.

"Why not?"

"Life sucks, Cinder. I mean, fanfiction is great. And you, and friends like Iko, and maybe even Pearl and Mom." She glanced towards Cinder, who was shaking her head once she said Pearl. Peony smiled again, but this time it was a sad smile. "I just want to get this over with. I hate lying around with drugs being pushed through my arm," she added, lifting her limp arm up to show faded scars and bandages and red spots. "I feel so gross."

Tears welled in Cinder's eyes. _I'm not going to cry, I won't do it in front of her…_

"You're not gross. And I would switch places with you at any given moment."

Peony tucked in the thin blanket sheets around herself. "Yeah, I know."

It was silent for a moment. Tiredness and fatigue was a symptom of CLL.

Slowly getting up, Cinder hopped off the bed, but a hand snaked around her wrist. "Wait! I forgot," Peony said suddenly, "to tell you about my Wish!"

"What? You got the option for a Wish?"

"Yes. Only one Wish for us dying cancer patients. Wait. That came out wrong."

Cinder grimaced at the word _dying_. "Well, don't tell me that you made your one and only Wish already."

"I did," smirked Peony. "And I'm going to meet Kaito! In an awesome concert around town, in three weeks. I already told Iko about it yesterday, when she came to visit. And I want you to come, too."

"That's great," Cinder said, adding artificial kindness in her tone, not understanding why she would want to waste her Wish on something stupid like that. "But I'm not allowed to come. Because the Wish only is for one person."

"But...I want you to be there with me. Can't Mom pay for you, or something?"

"Why would she? Maybe if it was Pearl…"

"Pearl wants to come, I bet. I want Pearl there, too."

Facepalming, Cinder groaned. "We don't have all the money in the world, Pea. I'm sure that Iko can pay for herself, and maybe Adri will pay for Pearl...but there's not a chance I would be able to get in. I'm sorry."

Cinder truly meant it, and she'd want to go to the concert- only because Peony wanted it so badly- but she didn't think it'd be possible.

Shutting her eyes, Peony sighed. "I want you to come. I want you to be there to see Kai, because even though you don't like him that much, I want you to have some fun with me. Like I'm still the _normal_ sister you used to have."

* * *

The concert date was ticking.

Cinder also had done plenty of research on Kaito.

And here she was, at the gates of his house. It seemed stupid and helpless, but she was here to convince him. Somehow.

According to Cress- who also surprisingly knew Kaito- he lived here. It was relatively close to where Cinder lived, and she was also rather shocked that he only lived in a mere house, not a flashy mansion. Not many people knew where he actually lived- Cress told Cinder that most celebrities pretended to own an incognito mansion to prevent being stalked.

Cinder wondered what she was going to say.

She tightened her fists, and finally made herself knock on the door.

A heartbeat passed.

The door swung open.

The celebrity wasn't behind the door.

A man, in his mid forties, pursed his lips. "And you must be…"

"Cinder. Er, Linh Cinder. I need to speak to Kaito."

Groaning, the man facepalmed. He began to close the door "Mr. Kaito is very busy, thank you, and-"

"Wait! It's important!" She tried prying the door open, hoping that she wasn't committing any crimes under breaking and entering.

"I'm sure it is, miss, I'm sure of it." The man's knuckles whitened as he grasped onto the door, and he pulled back. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Cinder pushed the door open again, frustration boiling. "Please. Just a minute. I have a letter for him. Not a fangirl letter. It's one from my sick sister!"

"I'm sorry to hear that. But Mr. Kaito doesn't accept letters. Now, scram!" the man gritted, his face suddenly scathing.

The door shut, the hinges squeaking and the sound reverberating against the frame of the house.

 _What a jerk._

Slumping against the door, Cinder curled up into a resigned ball. She pulled the white envelope from her pocket, and felt the urge to ball it up and toss it in the bush by the porch.

Peony would be crushed.


End file.
